Falling in Love with You Is Just the Beginning
by Aya3
Summary: A young woman lives in solitude and complications as the incidents with her ex-lover comes to focus. But now, a man she encounters falls in love with her and past occurrences is refusing to let her love him...*rate may change*
1. Fate Can Be So Beautiful

Falling in Love with You Is Just the Beginning

Falling in Love with You Is Just the Beginning

Prologue

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Alternate Reality

By: Aya

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Summary: A youthful woman is deprived of love and sets her goals on a new life. While watching people bustle around in her hometown, she is met by an equally handsome stranger and is touched by his friendliness and is unfortunately disappointed with his flirting. However, that doesn't stop him from giving her his number.

It was late autumn, which was rather warm, and many people were scurrying down streets to do some early shopping for Christmas. As usual, it wasn't anomalous to see this because it practically happened every year so to avoid the last minute rush. 

A young lady sighed and brushed back a few of her hazelnut-colored strands behind her ear and stretched her legs in front of her while sitting on the bench. Her ruby red eyes surveyed her surroundings that were full of busy people. The crisp leaves beneath her shoes looked beautiful as ever with a mix of red, orange, gold, and pale green. She loved autumn, right next to winter of course. So far, during these natural seasons, she hadn't anyone to share it with. You could say she was a "loner" but most times she preferred it that way. In the past, one man, whom she loved with all her heart, shattered it into tiny pieces by sleeping with another woman in their own bed. They weren't married, however. She was far from ready.

Then, she felt the empty space beside her being occupied. With a slight tilt of her head she observed that a man had sat down. His fire-red hair seemed to brighten up her day for some reason. She presumed that red was one of her favorite colors. His eyes sparked an emerald green and they danced under the golden sun, whose rays' were tickling people with its light. This man leaned back, enjoying what he was seeing, which were mostly women in short skirts. Other women, who seemed interested in him, smiled sexily at him, admiring his choice of clothing, which were a pair of baggy black jeans and a gray muscle tee shirt. A delicate, silver-chained necklace, a silver ring dangling from it, hung around his neck, which could've blinded anybody. He turned his head around towards her and grinned lopsidedly.

"Hey sweet thing, how ya doin' on a fine day like this?"

"Um, fine, thanks…" She quickly stared at her hands that were folded on her lap. A tinge of pink appeared on her cheek but she quickly regained herself with an inner smile. He was awfully friendly and he didn't seem to have trouble talking to strangers- especially females.

"So what's an attractive woman like you all alone, huh?"

She shrugged in response. She knew that if she tried that she would be able to get a boyfriend just like that but she didn't feel the need to…probably because she didn't want to encounter the same pain she had shared with her past lover.

"Surely you would know." He pressed into the subject, though she didn't feel like talking about it much. She murmured something inaudibly but he listened with intent. The girl sighed.

"Why do you want to know? First of all, I don't know you and it's not like I want to get to know you." She snapped. He held up his arms in defeat.

"Chill, woman. I was tryin' to get a friendly conversation goin' but seein' as how you're in a pissed-off mood, might as well find some other chick to hit on." He stood up and with a final turn he said: "Here, hold on to this." A piece of paper lay on her hand as she watched him stroll away in search "for other chicks." She shook her head in disappointment. He was not someone she could get along with. Curiosity got the best of her and she unfolded the white piece of paper. She was surprised.

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Reno Talor

532-9026

Crumpling it up, she stuffed it into her jacket. There was no trashcan around and she wasn't about ready to go searching one just to put one measly paper inside. For now, she wanted to admire the wonderful scenery around her, which she was proud to call "home". 

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Author's Notes: Hey, sorry for the long wait. I had this in my notebook during that month (?) I was gone. God, I don't even remember. I've recently been getting into Reno/Tifa stories, yet I'm still a strong supporter of Cloud/Tifa so don't be too upset. Let's just say this story is my way of writing something "new." And the next chapter of Ethereal Glances will be coming soon. I received writer's block for that story. I don't know how…guess I suddenly lost interest but I'm getting there. Just brace yourself when the next chapter comes out because there's sure to be a twist in it. Don't be too surprised about it though. ^_^

P.S. I'll be posting up summaries dedicated to that specific chapter. So it's quite different from the summary outside of this story. The summary before you clicked this link is the whole main point, but I'm guessing you could already tell. Sorry to waste your time.

Please, pretty please R & R. I'll appreciate it a lot.


	2. A Past Encounter

Falling in Love with You Is Just the Beginning

Falling in Love with You Is Just the Beginning

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Alternate Reality 

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By: Aya

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The sun rose higher and Tifa loved every minute of it. She needed to have something as beautiful as the sun to get rid of past thoughts, including her stumble upon _Reno Talor, whoever he was. She had to admit, though, that he was remarkably striking and his eyes almost certainly had to be his best feature. She shook him out of her mind, however. Promising to never, **ever fall in love again was a top priority. Followed by that, she guaranteed that she would begin a new life as a whole new person and that was the way it was going to be.**_

~*~

"I'm tired! Reno, stop!" A small girl, about fifteen years of age, tagged behind her older brother, who was walking a tad bit faster than she would've expected. She took off her baby blue sweater and wrapped it around her petite waist. She lifted the sunglasses in front of her eyes and rested it on her head. Her straight brown hair, which took after their mother's, flailed lightly as she ran to catch up with her brother. 

He sighed and turned around. "Could you be any slower?" His green eyes twinkled and her eyes shared the same magnificence. 

"Well, it's not like this is a life and death situation. Let me inform you that you're taking me into a bar full of women, and I might as well confess that I've been grabbed a few times by those drunk men. Honestly!" She grumbled. 

"Hey, you've never complained before! Why now?" 

"I dunno."

"Then don't complain." He took a hold of her hand and they began walking once more. She needn't have protested against his grasp because when it came to her, everything was gentle. To other women…well, that wasn't anything to get into detail. 

~*~

Tifa continued walking down the sidewalks of Midgar and looked at the silver bracelet hanging loosely on her left wrist. She pondered the day when her ex-boyfriend had given it to her. She smiled at how sweet he used to be. She scoffed. _Used _to be. 

Flashback

She sat down on the swing, slowly pushing herself. It was a beautiful day and a warm breeze began flowing through her hair. The scent of spring brought liveliness throughout town, especially her. She absolutely loved it. 

Soon, a pair of hands ran gently up her neck and covered her eyes. 

"Guess who." The voice whispered in her ear, making her spine tingle. She giggled and pulled away the hands from her face. She turned around and found her boyfriend grinning at her with that cute, boyish grin of his. It was really heart melting.

"Hey." She greeted and he leaned down to give her a tender kiss on her rosy pink lips. Then, picking her up he sat on the swing and placed her on his lap. In response, she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned her forehead in with his.

"Hey yourself. You feel like doing anything?" A coy smile made its appearance on his face. She smacked him playfully and played with the fabric of his shirt.

"Cloud! That's not nice."

"Oh come on. We were close, weren't we?" 

Tifa ran a finger down to trace his jaw. "Hm, yeah. I remember. And you were tweaked when your mom came home."

She giggled…He groaned.

"Oh gods. Don't remind me. And you, love, just had to leave me, didn't you?"

"I couldn't just hang out. I looked as if I was been played with." She defended herself.

"Oh. I thought you looked a thousand times sexy." 

"Oh, so you don't think I'm sexy now? How rude." She smiled internally and giggled as he tried to gain back attention. 

"Aw, c'mon, Tifa! I was just playin'! You know I love you." He snuggled closer to her. "You'll always be mine. Always."

"That a promise?" She said, carefully taking a peek at him.

"When have I broken a promise?" He queried, innocently.

"Oh, a couple-

He stopped her. "I know. But those were nothing. This time, it's for sure. You're the sun that brightens up my day and I'd rather die than lose you."

She felt her eyes become watery and she sniffled.

"How does that sound to you? Do you think that when I'm that serious, I would lie?" He brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. "Don't worry, sweetie. I'll never break your heart. And here's something that will truly keep our promise."

From his pocket, he took out a small box, beautifully tied with a red silk ribbon. She untied it carefully and opened the box, revealing a silver bracelet.

She was practically speechless. "Oh my…Cloud! This must've cost a lot! How could you? You know I tell you not to spend your money on me!" 

He smiled at her scolding. She looked pretty. "No, but I figured that I would for this one. You mean so much to me."

Tears finally covered her face and she buried her face in his chest. "I love you, Cloud…"

"And I love you."

End Flashback

That was when they were fifteen. They had broken up four years later and look where she ended up. She was lonely and she was virtually meandering around with her life. They had been going out for three years. Now, that wasn't a lot of time but it sure meant a lot to her.

She sighed. Even though the day she saw him cheat on her, she still loved him. She didn't know when she could let go. However, it is said that you can't forget your first love. How true is that? She mentally slapped herself. What he said meant the world to her but now, it was just words.

Just words… 

Soon, she spotted a bar. _I should have a drink…it wouldn't hurt seeing as how shitty I feel._ She walked on and didn't see the boy and his little sister come around the corner…

~*~

"Alright, we're here."

"Yay." She said, not enthusiastic about this whole situation. She didn't know why she was concerned. They did this as a daily routine. Who knows. She was a girl and girls usually had "problems"…or maybe it was just her.

They were about to turn around the corner when…

They collided with someone. 

"Aw man, Reno get off me!" His sister struggled until he finally got off. 

"Jeez, lady, are you trying to kill somebody?" He yelled. Brushing himself off and helping up his sister he said, "Just my luck. The bar just has to be on a bloody corner. What do you think of that?"

"Sorry…didn't see you." Reno was taken aback. He just yelled at a woman. Oh, this was bad. And she was the stranger whom he met earlier. _What a way to make an impression on yourself, Reno boy. Now do you think she's **still** gonna call ya?_

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"Sorry Miss. Here, let me help you." He held out a hand and she took it gratefully.

"Hehe…did Reno just yell at someone he met? Huh? Huh?" She sniggered and elbowed him in the ribs. "Don't worry, Miss. He's always nice to beautiful women."

Tifa slightly smiled. That was the same man she had met on the bench. _It is true then. He's a womanizer. Just like my ex. _She was about to open the door when he quickly took the handle and opened it for her. _Reminds me of Cloud…damn, this is disturbing. _She nodded and entered. With a head held high, his sister approached the door. 

"I can tell she's not interested in you."

"How?" Reno balked. Sure, his sister wasn't that smart but she was when it came to women. **His** women that **he** spotted.

"Well maybe every time she looks at you, she gets a melancholy expression. Plus, she didn't look too happy when you opened the door for her. And I might as well add that you guys bumped into each other and all you could do was yell at her. Seriously, brother, if you wanna get attention from ladies, you really need to work on chivalry." She stated, matter-of-factly.

"Chival-wha?" Reno was dumbfounded. "Anju!"

Too late. She had already entered the bar. He shook his head and followed, welcoming the loud beat of music that was reaching his ears. Many people he called "friends" were in there as well. He finally spotted Anju and the mystery girl sitting next to each other having a friendly conversation. _Anju, you're makin' me look bad. _As he advanced towards the two girls, he found that the female stranger was having fun. _This is outrageous…even I can't get a lovely conversation with a girl. _

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"Hi Reno! I found out her name." Anju whispered to him as she leaned over.

"You find out before me? This is insane!" He said, incredulous. He sighed and gave in. "What's her name?"

"Tifa. Tifa Lockhart. Sounds pretty different from all your other girlfriends. I mean, Cassandra's quite popular. Terra's been used quite a few times. And Andrea? I think that is a bit too overrated. And what about Sara who-

"Alright, alright, I get your point. I'm a boring man."

"Man?" Anju snorted and resumed in conversation with Tifa. Reno slipped into a seat beside Tifa and ordered a drink. He watched his sister and Tifa laughing merrily. 

"Yep. And he's got one hell of a reputa-whoa!" She found herself being shaken by Reno. "It would be-whoa-nice-urk-if you stopped shaking me, Reno."

"What the hell do you think you're doin'? She's one of a kind, Anju. One of a kind!" Reno snarled. She giggled and patted him on the nose. 

"Don't worry, Reno baby. I won't ruin your status **that** much." She winked and hopped back on her chair.

"What was that all about?" asked Tifa. For brother and sister, they had a strange relationship. Not that it was unusual to find siblings fighting with one another.

"Oh. He's getting all irritable again. He's like that you know. If I seem to let out his so-called secret, he starts scolding me. It's really unheard of!" She smiled. "Then again, it's my brother. What would you expect?"

"Nothing. He reminds me of someone." Tifa claimed, her eyes wandering around the barroom. 

"Who, who?" She was enjoying her talk. "I won't tell. Honest!"

"My ex. We went out for four years if you can believe that. I know that that's not a long time but-

Anju held up her hand to discontinue her sentence. "Say no more. That's pretty long compared to the time span Reno can keep a relationship."

"He's that bad?"

"Nah. He just can't keep a girl satisfied. It's a shame, really." 

"I see."

"Hey bro! Long time no see, eh? Catch any babes lately?" Reno asked the boy that walked inside.

Anju turned around and rolled her eyes. "Here we go again."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Reno and his good ol' buddy hang out every now and then to go babe hunting and it sucks 'cause I have to go with them. Though I have to admit that his friend is h-o-t! But you didn't hear that from me okay?"

Tifa smiled. "Sure."

"Hey Ju-Ju." Reno's friend spoke.

"He gave me that nickname. It sounds awfully funny but it's kinda cute. Don't tell him I said that." She whispered in Tifa's ear. "Hiya!"

"Who's your friend?"

"That's-

"Tifa?" His eyes widened at the sight of her. She held back tears, which she accomplished, and answered with a bitter tone.

"Hi Cloud."

¤*.¸¸.·´¨`·.´¨`·.**Author's Notes**.·´¨`·.´¨`·.¸¸ .*¤

Gee, fancy that. I wrote the next chapter the day after! What a miracle! Hehe, anyway, I'm going to have the next chapter of French Kiss up. I would have Ethereal Glances but like I said, I have writer's block for that one specific story. If I had to guess how much of a percentage it was done, I'd say about 80%, give or take. So bear with me. It's going to be awhile 'till the next chapter goes up but I'm seriously going to post up the next chapter for EG. ^^;;

Reviews are appreciated! Thanks!


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